Curse of the Zodiac
by TimeMistressAquaKlaroline4ever
Summary: What would it be like to be a living talisman? 12 kids are just that, with an added twist. They turn into their corresponding animal under unique conditions. This is the story of their lives. Some Jade/OC romance may occur.
1. A Tiger's Struggle

Rooster- When he gets hurt

Ox- When he gets annoyed

Snake- When she gets too emotional

Rabbit- When she gets scared

Sheep- When he gets tired

Monkey- When she gets excited

Tiger- When she gets angry

Dog- When he gets cold

Horse- When she makes any contact with a boy

Rat- When he gets sick

Dragon- When he gets wet

Pig- When he gets hungry

There was only darkness. Even with her excellent night vision, all she could see was endless inky blackness. Cold metal held her wrists and ankles in their steely grip, not allowing her to move more than a few inches. Damp concreted underneath her chilled her to the bone. Her wrists were still sore from where they had tried to slice them open, intending to kill her. Her own parents had tried to kill her. She lay curled on the bare stone floor, breathing in the scent of must and rotting vegetation.

A tray of tasteless food was pushed into her cell through a small shoot in the door. She crawled forward and took the tray. She sniffed it warily and turned away from the smell in disgust. She was very hungry though, so she took a careful bite. Although it was revolting, she choked it down so that the gnawing in her stomach would be held at bay. She shivered. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so cold. A single tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. She had to be tough. It was the only way she would survive in this cruel world.

In that moment, something changed inside of her. Her heart closed and locked so it couldn't be opened again and her mind grew clearer than it had been in a long time. She steeled her resolve and let her instincts take over. Her ice blue eyes turned feral and she would never trust again.

She was cursed with the spirit of a white tiger, but now that curse would become her greatest weapon in her fight for survival.


	2. New Friends

A small girl with shoulder length light brown hair and bright blue eyes was running faster than humanly possible, just a blur to the world around her. She sped around a corner and crashed into a girl her age with black hair and hazel eyes, wearing an orange jacket and jeans. They both ended up sprawled on the ground.

"I'm really sorry about that!" she apologized with wide eyes, helping the other girl up.

"Whoa! How did you do that? You were running at super speed! I thought only the talismans could do that!" the black haired girl exclaimed. "I'm Jade by the way." she added, holding out her hand.

She shook the girl's hand after a brief hesitation. "I'm Emma. You know about the talismans?" she asked, eyeing Jade cautiously.

"Of course I do! How do you know about them? Did you steal them?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in return.

Emma looked alarmed. "No! I didn't steal anything! I was born with this ability." she explained.

Jade grinned. "Really? That's so cool! You still didn't answer my question though. How do you know about the talismans? I know about them because my family and I are in charge of keeping them safe." she said proudly.

Emma cocked her head to the side. "Hmm… that's weird. I was told by my mom that the power of the Rabbit talisman resided in me and that the other eleven powers were in human hosts as well. I wasn't aware that there were another set of talismans." she replied slowly, not sure how much she should tell Jade.

Jade looked confused. "This is just strange. I always thought the talismans and their powers were one of a kind. You have to come with me to my great uncle's shop so we can tell him, Tohru, and Uncle Jackie about this! Maybe Uncle will know more about what's going on." she said.

Emma backed away, looking nervous. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I haven't been around other people ever since my mom died. I've been running from place to place for about a year now. I wouldn't know what to say to your family and my mom always told me to keep my secret to myself." she replied quietly.

Jade looked sympathetic. "You have nowhere to live? Well, you can live with me and Uncle Jackie! I'm sure he wouldn't mind once I explain the situation to him. You can trust me. None of us will do anything to harm you, and your secret is safe with us." she told her with a smile.

Emma could sense that she was being sincere. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. I'll trust you. It's been a long time since I've had a friend." she said.

"Well, you have one now!" Jade replied.

The two girls then headed off to Uncle's shop together, not realizing they were being watched.


End file.
